Entrust, a global entity known for its identity-focused security measures, has unveiled its seventh annual Identity Fraud Report for 2026.
This report highlights key global trends, tactics, and methodologies employed in identity fraud over the previous year, offering practical insights for businesses to safeguard their clientele and operations.
Biometric fraud attempts
The report indicates that deepfakes now comprise 20% of biometric fraud attempts, with occurrences of deepfaked selfies rising by 58% in 2025. Other common fraud methods across biometric systems include imagery such as photos of screens, printouts, and masks, as well as videos showing a photo or video on screen.
These developments reflect a larger trend of increasingly sophisticated attacks, propelled by injection attacks, which have surged by 40% year-on-year. Fraudsters use these attacks to bypass live capture processes by inserting manipulated images or videos directly into verification systems.
When paired with deepfakes, these advanced techniques can convincingly replicate user and real-time capture experiences, complicating detection unless robust, multi-layered fraud prevention strategies are implemented.
Fraud throughout the customer lifecycle
The report further examines at what points fraud occurs within the customer lifecycle
The report further examines at what points fraud occurs within the customer lifecycle and how it differs across industries and business models. Industries that offer sign-up incentives, such as cryptocurrency sectors, experience the highest rates of onboarding fraud, constituting 67% of fraud attempts.
Conversely, sectors with valuable, longstanding accounts, like payments and digital-first banks, are more prone to account takeover (ATO) fraud, which consists of 82% and 55% of authentication-targeted fraud attempts, respectively.
ATO fraud involves the usurpation of existing user accounts through stolen credentials, phishing, malware, or social engineering, to either misappropriate funds or access sensitive data.
Psychological manipulation in fraud schemes
Apart from technical threats, fraudsters are increasingly relying on psychological manipulation. By employing tactics such as phishing, impersonation, and coercion, they convince victims to use their genuine identities, divulge sensitive information, or transfer funds.
The 2026 Identity Fraud Report also details that digital forgeries made up 35% of document fraud in 2025, a significant increase from the 29% average recorded between 2022 and 2024. Although physical counterfeit volumes remain higher at 47%, digital forgeries are often more sophisticated, aided by AI tools readily available online.
Exploited documents and fraud patterns
Almost half (46%) of all fraudulent document submissions globally involved national ID cards
Almost half (46%) of all fraudulent document submissions globally involved national ID cards. While in EMEA and APAC fraudulent national IDs are most common (45% and 60% respectively), the AMER region sees more fraudulent driver's licenses at 37%.
Fraud activity is particularly prevalent between 2:00 am and 4:00 am UTC, reflecting how modern fraud operations are both highly organised and global.
Additionally, fraudsters often employ a "rinse and repeat" strategy, recycling fake details across multiple identity documents with commonly used elements including names like Jon Doe.
Combatting evolving threats
Simon Horswell, Senior Fraud Specialist Manager at Entrust, remarked, "As detection improves, fraud rings evolve, becoming faster, more organised, and commercially driven. Generative AI and shared tactics fuel volumes and sophistication, targeting people, credentials, and systems. Identity is now the front line, and protecting it with trusted, verified identity across the customer lifecycle is essential to staying ahead of adaptive threats."
Tony Ball, President of Payments & Identity and Incoming CEO at Entrust, added, "With over 1 billion identity verifications conducted across 195 countries and more than 30 industries, Entrust offers unparalleled insights into how fraud operates and how to help mitigate it."
"Our global reach and deep fraud intelligence mean we’re uniquely placed to drive continuous innovation and share meaningful insights for customers. The future of digital trust lies in layered, identity-centric strategies powered by AI, delivering fraud prevention and seamless user experiences."
Entrust, a global pioneer in identity-centric security solutions, released its seventh annual Identity Fraud Report for 2026. The report examines global trends, tactics, and techniques used in identity fraud over the past year, providing actionable insights to help businesses protect their customers and operations.
Deepfakes and injection attacks on the rise
New data reveals deepfakes account for one in five biometric fraud attempts, and instances of deepfaked selfies increased by 58% in 2025. Other fraud tactics across biometric systems include photo of a screen, photo of a printout, 2D and 3D masks, video of a video on screen, and video of photo on screen.
This rise in deepfakes is part of a broader trend of increasingly sophisticated attacks driven by injection attacks, which surged 40% year-over-year. Injection attacks enable fraudsters to bypass live capture processes by feeding manipulated images or videos directly into verification systems.
When combined with deepfakes, these sophisticated techniques can convincingly mimic users and live capture experiences, making detection difficult without robust, multi-layered fraud prevention.
Fraud across the customer lifecycle
The report also highlights trends in when fraud happens during the customer lifecycle and how it varies by industry and business models. Sectors offering sign-up bonuses, such as cryptocurrency, face the highest rates of onboarding fraud, accounting for 67% of fraud attempts.
Meanwhile, industries with valuable, long-standing accounts, such as payments and digital-first banks, experience higher rates of account takeover (ATO) fraud, accounting for 82% and 55% of fraud attempts targetting the authentication process, respectively.
ATO fraud involves hijacking existing user accounts, typically through stolen credentials, phishing, malware, or social engineering, to steal funds or harvest sensitive data.
Social engineering and psychological manipulation
Building on the technical threats, the report also reveals how fraudsters are increasingly targetting individuals through psychological manipulation. By using tactics such as phishing, impersonation, and coercion, fraudsters are convincing victims to use their genuine identity, hand over sensitive data, or transfer funds.
Additional key findings from the 2026 Identity Fraud Report include:
- Physical and digital document fraud: In 2025, digital forgeries made up 35% of document fraud – up from a 29% average between 2022 and 2024. Overall, there’s a higher volume of physical counterfeits (47%), but typically the sophistication of digital forgeries is higher, driven by the online availability of AI tools.
- National ID cards most exploited: National ID cards accounted for nearly half (46%) of all fraudulent document submissions globally. Fraudulent national IDs are most prevalent in EMEA (45%) and APAC (60%), whereas AMER experiences more fraudulent driver’s licenses (37%).
- Peak activity after hours: Modern fraud operations are highly organised and global in scale, making fraud a 24/7 business. Data from Entrust reveals that fraud attempts peak between 2:00 am and 4:00 am UTC, when defenses in many regions are offline.
- Fraud on repeat: Fraudsters often use a “rinse and repeat” strategy, recycling fake details across multiple fraudulent identity documents. Commonly used elements include names such as Jon Doe, document numbers like A12345678, and birthdates including October 16, 1986.
Protecting identity from evolving threats
“As detection improves, fraud rings evolve, becoming faster, more organised, and commercially driven,” said Simon Horswell, Senior Fraud Specialist Manager at Entrust.
“Generative AI and shared tactics fuel volumes and sophistication, targetting people, credentials, and systems. Identity is now the front line, and protecting it with trusted, verified identity across the customer lifecycle is essential to staying ahead of adaptive threats.”
Unparalleled insights
“With over 1 billion identity verifications conducted across 195 countries and more than 30 industries, Entrust offers unparalleled insights into how fraud operates and how to help mitigate it,” said Tony Ball, President of Payments & Identity and Incoming CEO at Entrust.
"Our global reach and deep fraud intelligence mean we’re uniquely placed to drive continuous innovation and share meaningful insights for customers. The future of digital trust lies in layered, identity-centric strategies powered by AI, delivering fraud prevention and seamless user experiences.”
